Tuesday, 22 January 2019

How to Have the Perfect Slow Morning for a Busy Mum

Having slow and purposeful mornings are the perfect way to start the day, whether I'm at work or at home - making time to wake up and prepare for the day without the usual rush that comes with having children may seem completely unachievable and I have to admit there are some occasions where I haven't been organised enough to make this possible - but with a little tweaking to our routine I have managed to create the most blissful mornings.

Early rise

It may seem strange to promote a "slow" morning with an early rise - but slow doesn't mean lazy lay-ins. For my a slow morning is more of a mindful one - allowing time to wake up properly, make breakfast, dressed without the rush. Previously my alarm used to go off at 6.05am that may seem early for some but I decided it still wasn't early enough for me to achieve my perfect start to the day. Instead, I set my alarm for 5.35am which seems to be the perfect start for me. I went through a phase of trying to wake at 5am (a popular start for those motivated organised people out there) but for me, it was just a little too early. Waking up at this time allows me to get ready undisturbed - and it's the first thing I do. Showered and dressed so I'm ready for the day. I find that if I do other tasks first I'm not really with it! Being able to shower and wash in the silence of the house is blissful - I'm not shouting from the shower to referee the kids for a start.

Once I'm dressed I will then head downstairs to make breakfast.

Breakfast

From being someone who used to always skip brekfast through my early twenties I now ensure I make time for breakfast every morning. I'm not loyal when it comes to breakfast, I will make whatever takes my fancy that morning - my favourite breakfast is smashed avocado on toast. Followed by the perfect cup of coffee. Yes, every morning for me starts with a cup of coffee. For my ultimate slow morning coffee, I tend to choose a medium dark roast blend in my French press. I love trying out new coffee's and different kinds of milk too - this morning I have oat milk and it gives it a really creamy taste! Making the perfect coffee is most certainly an art, a few years ago I went on a Barista workshop and it was so interesting. Wayfair, have also created a really handy guide to create the perfect coffee.

Time Batch work

Work a part of a slow morning? For me, yes. I hate heading to work knowing that I have got so much to do if I can do at least a small task it always makes me feel so much more positive about the day - for example - this post was written on a slow morning. At this point, it's normally around 6.05 and the children have woken up too, they've sleepily wondered downstairs and watch a little tv. I have no problems at all with them having a little screen time first thing. Whilst they do this, I use my Alexa and I will set a timer for 25 mins - that way I can immerse myself in whatever task I choose and I'm not constantly clock-watching. I use this time to do tasks such as, responding to emails, content writing, or general errands such as ordering Flowers for an anniversary or paying for a the children’s after school club. I have even managed to completely clean the whole of downstairs, rearrange flowers so the house is left in a calm and tidy state ready for when we all come home. Having flowers and plants dotted around out home really helps create this calm atmosphere. I absolutely love pottering around the house first thing watering and arranging the plants and flowers - it's such a mindful activity. When the timer is up I will then stop whatever it was I was doing - I'm really strict about this too. I feel a lot less stressed doing work this way. I'm the kind of person that gets overwhelmed easily and so this really stops that from happening as I'm only focused on the present.

Get the children ready

At this point it is normally around 6.30-6.45am and this is where I will focus on the children, I will make them breakfast and whilst they eat I will tidy up the kitchen and pop on some makeup. Then at around 7.15am the children will get dressed and brush their teeth. Both of them are fairly independent at this, so I will just check work emails and help when needed. We're all normally ready by 7:30 am which may seem really early but we have to leave at 8am to get to work and school (Darcie doesn't attend a catchment school so we have a 20-30 minute commute). Those extra 30 mins allow for any delays we've had in our morning routine and a chance for Darcie to do her reading. We find she reads better in the morning as in the evening she just wants to relax after school and I don't blame her really!

So there we have my slow and mindful morning that eliminates the usual morning school rush. I would love to hear your morning routine and what works for you and your family.